Sports

Jays' bats come alive in series clincher

Toronto Blue Jays Josh Donaldson crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning of their interleague MLB baseball game in Toronto on Sunday, August 13, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill)

For one afternoon anyway, it was as if the Blue Jays said: Enough is enough.

Enough of the Sunday reds, which may as well have been blood-splattered following a couple of recent blowout losses at the Rogers Centre.

And enough with the sleepy, in-and-out offence in those weekend-ending home matinees.

The Jays came out swinging on Sunday, riding a five-run first inning to a 7-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The win allowed the home side to take the series 2-1 and improve to 4-2 in the current 10-game homestand.

Inching towards a hot streak, the Jays are now 7-4 in their past 11 and, yes, they looked good in white in this one, a game that was as good as done after the first.

“We should probably shred them, burn them, give them away to charity,” Goins said of the red jerseys the team had intended to wear every home Sunday this season in honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary. “Save your red, just start wearing blue.”

A team anxious for a rallying point will take anything about now, but with series wins over the Yankees and Pirates and a 4-2 record so far on this 10-day homestand, there’s at least a whiff of optimism.

The big blast was a two-run Josh Donaldson homer to get things started, a line drive off the facing of the third deck that was measured at 452 feet. It was Donaldson’s longest home run of the season and it set the tone for the remainder of the frame.

“That’s always nice,” Gibbons said of the early lead. “We’ve been known to do that, especially in the good times. Score early and give the starter a big of a break that helps.”

By the time the Jays were done in the first, they had erased the 1-0 deficit starter J.A. Happ had spotted the Pirates in the top of the inning, batted through the order and had a 5-1 lead.

Staked to that advantage, Happ once again flashed the form that made him a 20-game winner last season with his third consecutive excellent outing.

Since Canada Day, the Jays had certainly been rotten in red, allowing 44 runs in the three home Sunday dates immediately following. Included in those horror shows were a 15-1 loss to the Red Sox and the 19-1 drubbing at the hands of Houston.

Prior to the game, the wardrobe police in the clubhouse made the call for change.

The result — and the three-homer outburst that fuelled the Jays offence — was a welcome change to what had become a disturbing Sunday trend for the thousands of fans filling the Rogers Centre.

HAPP-Y DAY

After giving up that run in the first, it was another impressive outing for Happ, who improved to 6-8 on the season with W’s in each of his past three starts.

At one point between the second and sixth innings, Happ had retired 16 of the 18 batters he faced.

The final Pirates batter he dispatched as a big one. After issuing a pair of two-out walks in the sixth, Happ made his eighth strikeout of the day count, mowing down Jody Mercer with a 95 -mph fastball on his 104th pitch of the game.

“That was just kind of frustration for the two walks,” Happ said of the out that ended his day. “I felt like I could have got out of the inning and into the seventh. I was kind of leaving it all out there.”

In his six innings, Happ allowed four hits, just one beyond the first. The big lefty has now allowed just three earned runs in his past 20.2 innings.

Happ’s effort was the fourth consecutive quality start for the Jays, a crucial development if they are to sniff at the playoffs.

“If you look at successful teams, it usually starts with starting pitching,” Happ said. “I like the way we’ve been throwing the ball lately. We’re going to need more of that over the next month and a half.”

QUICK HITS

The win was number 700 as a Jays manager for Gibbons … The Jays banged out three homers for the fifth time in the past 16 games. Joining Donaldson was Justin Smoak with his team-leading 32nd (and first in 10 games) and Darwin Barney, who ended an 0-for-18 stretch at the plate with his third of the year …After Donaldson’s two-run homer, the Jays scored three more in the first. The key hit was from Mr. RISP Goins, who doubled down the right-field line to bring home Smoak and Ezequiel Carrera … Eight of Donaldson’s 16 homers this year have come in the first inning … After his double, Goins scored on a rare double steal, creeping up the line for a huge advantage … The two Goins RBIs gave him 44 on the season, one shy of his career high … Gibbons had hoped to give his bullpen aces some rest in this match, but that plan dissipated after Leonel Campos issued a pair of two-out walks in the eighth inning. Ryan Tepera, in for the 53rd time this season, entered to clean up the mess with a strikeout and pop up … The Jays have captured eight of their past nine games against National League opponents.